Tsipras-Zaev meeting this week in Sofia

A UN mediator for the quarter-of-the-century “name issue” still separating Athens and Skopje on Saturday announced that the prime ministers of Greece and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (fYRoM), Alexis Tsipras and Zoran Zaev, respectively, will meet on the sidelines of an EU-Western Balkans summit in Sofia on Thursday.

Matthew Nimetz made the announcement after participating in a marathon meeting (six hours) between Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias and his fYRoM counterpart Nikola Dimitrov at Cape Sounion, southeast of Athens proper.

Nimetz, the most veteran of the “old hands” involved in the “name issue” negotiations, said the two foreign ministers had a “very serious meeting” on Saturday, while referring to positive work.